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Awww, it’s so cute when green tea does adorable things like, umm, help save your life.
According to CBS News, a new California study is reporting that our beloved green tea may be shaving points off your LDL – aka “bad” – cholesterol.
From the CBS News site:
Green tea and capsules containing green tea compounds were tested. The tea was found to lower total and “bad” cholesterol levels by 5 to 6 points. The beverage was found to be consistently more effective than capsules – although the overall benefits for both were small.
Green tea contains antioxidant compounds called catechins, which many studies have tested for their effect on cholesterol. But these studies have been small and had conflicting results. For the new study – published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association – researchers at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, Calif., pooled the results of these clinical trials, involving a total of 1,415 adults. The trials – lasting anywhere between three weeks and six months – had participants consume either green tea beverages, capsules, or placebos daily. Benefits were found among people who had high cholesterol levels at the beginning of the study.
The study found no significant effect on “good” HDL cholesterol.
The use of herbal supplements like green tea is one strategy to lower cholesterol, along with medication and lifestyle changes, according to the study…
So it’s possible that on this month’s holiday, we should be giving thanks to our old friend, green tea. 🙂
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